


3. Seeing Blind

by brokxnharry



Series: Teen Wolf Challenge (Niall Horan Album) [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Awesome Sheriff Stilinski, Blind Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale Loves Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale Saves Stiles Stilinski, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, M/M, Married Scott McCall/Kira Yukimura, Mates Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Minor Scott McCall/Kira Yukimura, Protective Derek, Slow Build Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Song fic, Song: Seeing Blind (Niall Horan), Stiles Stilinski Has Panic Attacks, Uncle Stiles Stilinski, badass stiles, derek & stiles kiss, stiles and derek happy together, stiles uses a cane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 03:39:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18422061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokxnharry/pseuds/brokxnharry
Summary: " Because I am fucking blind and that makes me not good enough for your company apparently!" Stiles was yelling, scratching his throat with all the rage he was spewing at Derek." You couldn't be more wrong if you tried."Or,Dad started with a D. Derek started with a D too, and when you're blind and panicked, can you really be blamed for dialing the wrong person? If anything, it was the best thing Stiles had - accidentally - done.





	3. Seeing Blind

**Author's Note:**

> The gif used doesn't belong to me so credits to its owner.

Stiles' fingers trembled, attempting to find a hold on the phone but it kept slipping between all the empty spaces, everything was fucking slipping away from him. He continued to call for the twins, his legs soundless against the grass, not knowing which way to go. They were supposed to be here, they said they would be playing with their friends, but suddenly, he couldn't feel them anywhere around him, and no matter how many different directions he moved his cane, it never bumped into anything.

His finger moved across the screen, and he finally pressed down on a name; his dad, because maybe he could send him a few officers to help find the kids before they strayed too far. He continued to turn in circles around himself until he started to feel the world spin, despising how he couldn't just **_see_** where the kids were.

" Stiles?"

" Dad, oh my God, I'm at the park with the twins and I don't know where they ran off to, I'm freaking out and I don't know what to do, I – "

" Uh, it's Derek."

"Derek?" He still didn't get the hang of blindly using his phone, it'd only been a few months after all, " Shit, fuck, I'm sorry. I'm hanging up now."

" Which park are you at? I can help."

" You don't have to do that, I – I can call my dad, hopefully I'll get it right this time, and he'll send me some people. Don't worry about it."

" I can get there faster. And I can sniff them out and find them. Where exactly are you?"

" In the park by the lake, it's a few miles away from Scott's house, where they usually have that annual fair."

" I know the one. I'm on my way."

" Thank you, Derek. Scott is going to kill me."

" No, he won't. Just, stay where you are till I get there."

It'd been a few months since Stiles saw Derek. Actually, a few months since Stiles saw anything at all, but Derek had been keeping his distance ever since Stiles woke up from that spell-induced coma, to find that the head trauma had cost him his eyesight. He didn't go through the anger phase, he didn't rage, barely gave himself time to dwell on it, because his father was talking like he wanted to drink again and Liam had gotten hurt during that witch fight too and - things didn't stop happening just because he could no longer see them happen. Scott still needed help with his kids and his job and Kira with her degree and Derek needed him too, he just stopped asking for it, stopped letting him help like he'd somehow become incompetent just because he couldn't see. So, Stiles let him drift, allowed him the distance he so desperately needed between them, and tried to forget how his eyes looked, terrified and longing, how his arms felt against his skin like they wanted more than just to hold, how his voice sounded around his name, before everything had gone black.

When Derek got to the park, there was a small crowd formed. He could hear Stiles' heart, beating against his chest like it could break through. He could hear the suffocated breaths forced out of his lungs, and his knees hitting the ground with a thud, and he knew he was having one hell of a panic attack.

" Get away, give him some space, can't you see he can't fucking breathe?" Derek pushed through the group of parents and kids, dropping to the ground and laying his hands onto Stiles' shoulder, wanting so desperately to find the source of his pain and just – take it away.

" Derek, I – I don't know where they went, I – I don't know what to do, I can't fucking see and – fuck, Derek, I have to find them, I have to, I – " Stiles' hands fell against Derek's chest, fisted around his shirt and pulled like that would bring him closer.

" Shh, shh, it's okay. Don't worry. Just breathe. I can already smell them around, they're not far."

" They, they're not?" Stiles' eyes squeezed shut, his head bowing down, like he could pass out, if he really let himself.

" No, they're not. You just need to breathe so that we can go find them together." Truthfully, Derek couldn't focus his senses enough to attempt to find them, he couldn't filter Stiles' scent out, could barely even hear anything other than his heartbeat beating against his own eardrums.

" I – I can't. I can't breathe. I can't believe I lost the twins. Fuck, I never should have been left with them. I can't – do anything fucking right. I can't **_see_** , why the fuck am I babysitting? Why did I think I could do this? Do anything?" And there it was. Everything Derek hid away from, everything he tried not to hear, never to have to think of, because he didn't know if he'd ever be able to hear anything else that didn't sound like Stiles telling him this was all his fault, that he blamed him for losing his eyesight, for ruining his life.

" Stiles," Derek spread his legs in front of him, tugging at Stiles' arm until he sort of collapsed against him, but Derek stopped himself from wrapping around him because he didn't want to suffocate him further, " You can do anything you want to. You can watch children and help Kira study and memorize Scott's working schedule and help your dad with his cases. In fact, you do all of those things. And more. Nothing ever stopped you before, and this won't either. Blind or not, you're so much better than most of us combined. You can do whatever the hell you want and you should. Don't say those things about yourself. There's nothing wrong with you. You did nothing wrong here." Stiles whined, like he was physically hurting. Derek could smell it on him too, he just didn’t know what to do about it. So, he held on, allowed Stiles' grasp on his hands to tighten, his own body shaking along with Stiles'.

" I – I never thought, **_fuck_** , I never thought I'd hear you say anything to me again, let alone all of this." Stiles' eyes opened, searching for Derek like they wanted to see him again. Derek didn't want him to see the shame across his features, the guilt aging him a decade or two. He didn't want him to see the longing behind his eyes, the ache for him to just – keep him close and let him feel all the things that Stiles brought to life inside him.

" Yeah, well. I'm not a man of many words." Derek's voice softened, fell slightly apart, as did his resilience. He was so tired of having to resist Stiles. Stiles' breath fell into something like a chuckle, Derek's lips lifting along with it.

" We need to – "

" Find the twins, I know. Are you good? Can you stand?" Stiles breathed in, coughed out when he tried to take in too much air, but then he nodded, leaning onto Derek until he shakily stood back up, ignoring the tremble that persisted in his limbs, and the way his chest almost collapsed every few breaths.

" I was sitting over there, they said they would be playing with the kids here, and – I don't know where else they could be, I don't know where to look." Derek took the time to concentrate his senses, trying to find any traces of the twins, never calling Stiles out for the hand he still left on him. He didn't think of how Stiles taught himself to be guided by other people, didn't think of who that first person he leaned on was. Or the last.

" That way, they're by the other side of the lake." Derek felt every time Stiles' fingers pinched around his skin, every time his grasp loosened a little before tightening again. He felt all of Stiles' attempt to manner his breathing, heard his heart as it struggled to find a normal pace, as he guided him through the park, until they got to the smaller group of people collected by the lake, standing in the middle of the water, most of them still in their clothes.

" Did you find them? Are they there? Can you see them?" Derek breathed in, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. There was something.. off about their scent.

" I can't see them yet, but they're close. Come on." Derek needed to move faster, so he slid his hand down till he reached Stiles' fingers, tangled them between his own, and tugged at Stiles, who faltered for a moment, before silently following behind.

" Hey, what's going on?" Derek found the twins in the middle of all the chaos, looking wet and terrified.

" Uncle Stiles!" They both exclaimed once they noticed the figure looming behind Derek. Stiles detangled his hand from Derek, went down to his knees and waited till the twins were wrapped around him, burying themselves into his arms, and already speaking over each other in an attempt to beat the other to telling Stiles the story.

" Slow down, I can't keep up with the two of you. Why are you wet? Are you okay?"

" Silver jumped into the lake and left me alone!" Noah – the older of the twins by 3 and a half minutes – exclaimed frantically.

" Wait, **_what_**? You went into the lake with no supervision and without telling any adults?" Despite the worry lacing Stiles' voice, it was still patient and kind and understanding in ways that boggled Derek's mind. He didn't understand it. Didn't know how Stiles could seem so collected when he was just coming undone barely minutes ago.  

" That's not what happened! We were hiding behind this tree, and we heard some of the kids being mean to a little boy. They pushed him into the lake and it looked like he was in trouble so I jumped in and got him out. That's it, I didn't mean to leave Noah alone, I'm sorry." Stiles sighed, moving his hand until he felt Silver's tears. He tenderly moved his fingers across her small face, but the tears wouldn't stop coming, so he pulled her back into his arms, Noah too.

" It's okay, don't cry, you did good. Both of you. Fuck, I was so worried about you. Thank God you're okay."

" You just said a bad word." Silver sniffled against Stiles' shoulder, made no effort to pull away.

" You ran off from where we specifically said you'd play and you jumped into the water, fully clothed, without telling anyone. Do you really want to be a smartass with me right now?"

" No. I'm sorry we scared you." Silver tightened her arms around Stiles' neck, like she could still feel the last of the tremble leaving his body.

" It's okay, little one. Don't do it again, please. I mean it. Tell me if you're going to move places. Me not being able to see where you're going, makes things worse. And I'd hate for your mom and dad to not let me babysit you by myself anymore."

The kids knew Stiles who could see things that others looked past, who could tell by the way their eyes looked if they were getting sick, who watched them take their first steps and drove them to kindergarten every Monday of every week until the Sunday where he lost his sight. They saw that Stiles go through the loss that they couldn't quite understand yet. He just looked so normal most of the time. Sure, he had a cane now, and he let his hair go mostly to hide the healing scar, and the lack of… everything still sent him into a downward spiral of panic and helplessness, but he was still everything he always had been to them. Maybe even more.

" We won't do it again, uncle Stiles. We're sorry." Noah spoke, leaning away from Stiles to assess how he'd react to his words, before burying his head into his shoulder again. Two women came to stand in front of Stiles, he must have heard them approach, because Derek didn’t get to warn him, before they were crying out their gratitude, telling him that the twins had saved their little boy and that he would have died if it wasn't for the two of them. Stiles was glowing with pride, like all his fear and anguish was worth it, like they did everything right.

" Alright, let's go home. Can you hand me my cane?" Derek leaned down, wanting to feel useful somehow. He handed the cane to Stiles as if to remind him that he was still there. He selfishly wished it would have taken them a bit longer to find the kids. He wished Stiles had held onto him tighter, even after finding the twins, he wished there was still a point for him being around Stiles.

" I got Noah." Derek whispered, carrying Noah, who immediately wrapped around him instead, exhausted by the events of the day and still a little remorseful. Stiles nodded, gracefully carrying Silver. She wrapped her legs around his waist as best as she could, and he had a hand around her, and the other with the cane, no longer depending on Derek to guide him.

Stiles remained unnaturally silent, still reeling after everything that happened. This was his first time interacting with Derek in months, and he didn't know how to diminish that flaring ache for an explanation, or reassurance, or just.. something. Anything. But Derek probably didn't care for any of those things, didn't think Stiles was deserving of them, and Stiles hated how he couldn't just tell him to stay, ask him why he was so far away all the time, why it was ridiculously hard to love him as much as he did, but he did it anyway. Love him? Woah, when did that happen?

" Get in the car, I'll drive you guys home." Derek headed towards his car, feeling stupid shortly after, because Stiles couldn't exactly see where he was going or where he needed to go to follow.

" Shit, sorry. Here, take my hand, I'll tell you where to go." Pathetic. What a pathetic excuse to hold his hand. But Stiles still gave it away, always so willing to give so fearlessly, like nothing bad could ever come out of it. He was everything that Derek wasn't, couldn't be.

" Here you go," Derek instructed, opening the passenger's door with as much noise as he could make, to notify Stiles that they were by the car. Stiles didn't have much of a problem getting inside the car, and even fastening his own seatbelt, but Silver had fallen asleep in his arms, so Derek had to put her with Noah in the backseat, fastening their own seatbelts for them, before starting to drive away.

" Where to?"

" Dad's house. We're supposed to have dinner there tonight. Scott and Kira are going to finish whatever they need to do then come over." Derek nodded, pretended that would be enough of a response for Stiles, as he silently drove the rest of the short road, not knowing when he'd ever see Stiles again. When he'd ever be this close, if he'd ever let him.

" You can come, if you'd like." Stiles whispered, like he wasn't sure he wanted the words to come out, didn't know if he wanted him to accept his offer or just turn him down, one more time.

" I have to go on patrol tonight. It's my turn, since Scott is busy and – "

" No, it's not. It's Isaac's turn. Cora and Malia will be there as backup. Your shift is tomorrow, not today." Stiles didn't even bother with Derek, didn't look for or at him, didn't care to make a point. He leaned his head against the window, everything about him weighed down by defeat. Derek didn't know how to take it all back.

" I got lost once too, when I was 7. Laura was babysitting Cora and me, and she was newly showing signs of turning and stuff, so she was playing around and accidentally turned full wolf. I got excited and started following her into the woods but she was too fast and I couldn't keep up. Cora was left by herself so technically, Laura got us both lost. Mom was furious, although, once they caught our scent, it wasn't too hard to trace us." Stiles started to smile a little, his frown losing some of its intensity, before he sighed out, shutting down again. Derek felt like he was giving up on him, and he didn't know why it bothered him as much as it did.

" Cool story."

" Stiles – "

" We're here." Derek didn't even know how Stiles knew they were on his street, but he opened his door before Derek could come to a proper stop, waiting until he parked, before opening the back doors and getting both kids out, helping them to their feet and using his cane to guide them home.

" Stiles, wait!" Derek couldn't believe he was chasing after Stiles, but he was, wrapping his hands around his arm, only for him to flinch away like he'd hurt him. It seemed like that was all Derek ever did.

" The kids are sleepy, I need to change them and put them to bed before Scott and Kira get here."

" I can help. I want to help."

" Thanks, but, I'm going to have to pass. I mean, you do have patrolling to get to, after all." Stiles was driving Derek insane with how cold his tone was, un-emotive, unlike everything that Stiles stood for.

" You know I don't. I'm sorry for saying that, okay?"

" No, Derek, not okay. This isn't okay. None of what you've been doing has been okay, and I'm done pretending that it is just to make you feel better about yourself." Stiles whispered something into the twin's ears, probably not wanting them to watch this thing unravel, not wanting them to witness his unfolding. They nodded, tried not to frown too hard at Derek, before going into the house and closing the door behind them. Stiles crossed his arms against his chest, the fight revived within him. He would fight Derek to either one of their deaths. Derek felt all giddy inside at the renewed fire behind Stiles' eyes.

" I didn't want things to be awkward at dinner, that's why I tried to get out of it without telling you a hard no."

" No, no. You lied, Derek. You were condescending and deceptive and belittling, and for what? You think I lost brain cells when I hit my head? You think I'm stupid now that I'm blind? You can't just treat me like I'm inadequate, Derek, it's not fucking right. I don't care how uncomfortable my blindness makes you and I'm done catering to it, to **_you_**. I'm over it."

" It doesn't make me uncomfortable. You don't make me uncomfortable." Stiles wasn't getting it, was nowhere close to getting it right.

" You just said you didn't want to make dinner awkward! Why would it be awkward, Derek? You already interact with everyone there, except for me."

" And why do you think that is?"

" Because I am fucking blind and that makes me not good enough for your company apparently!" Stiles was yelling, scratching his throat with all the rage he was spewing at Derek.

" You couldn't be more wrong if you tried."

" Yeah, well, I'm not going to try anymore, Derek. I'm done trying. You want to tell me how exactly am I wrong, go right ahead, but I'm not going to play this guessing game for the rest of my life." Stiles' voice softened, like Derek had sucked all the life out of it.

" I – I don't know how to do this. I want to – I want to do something and I don't know how okay you would be with it and – " Derek shook his head, let his arms fall by his side, unable to find the words for how he felt, unable to speak the words he found.

" Your call."

So, Derek made the call, stopping the thoughts before they ever formulated. He dove for a kiss, his lips clumsily falling onto Stiles' chin before he lifted them to fit into the awaiting gap between his lips. It was the craziest thing in the world. He was kissing Stiles. And Stiles was.. seemingly caught off guard but not in a bad way. Everything about this was good. Great, even. Derek couldn't remember why he ever fought this long.

Derek thought it'd been long enough of Stiles holding his breath, before he slowly, carefully, pulled one lip out of Stiles' mouth, then the other. He put his hands on Stiles' neck, feeling his pulse beneath his fingers, the hairs standing at the end of his hairline, his forehead rested against Stiles', despite the layer of sweat they were both suddenly drenched in.

" Okay?" Stiles had his hands on Derek's chest, trying to trace the newly formed muscles, or maybe find the beating of his heart and just – imitate it. He laughed a little in utter disbelief.

" Yeah. Okay. More than okay."

" Good. I – uh," He took one step away from Stiles, left his hands where they were, " The kids are trying to be sneaky, but. I think I'm going to go, but, I'll – we'll talk later?" Stiles bit down on his lip, so oblivious to what he was doing to Derek. Derek almost didn't want to leave anymore.

" Sure, yeah. See you later. Or, not see you, but hear from you? I don't know. You get it. Wait, are you gone yet? Am I just talking to myself here? You probably ran away so fast, dammit – "

" Still here, Stiles." Derek laughed, unable to stop himself from going in for another quick kiss, before running back to the car, stomping loudly to make sure Stiles could hear him leave.

When Derek got that first text from Stiles just as he started to drive away, it was almost too good to be true. It was easy in ways not many things in Derek's life have been. It was like they never stopped talking, there wasn't a hitch of anything, they didn't pause to think it through or consider where it could possibly take them, they dove right into each other and Derek suspected it was mostly all Stiles.

They spent six months together; six months of Scott sniffing Stiles out every time he came home smelling like he was all loved up, of date nights and movie nights and sleep-overs spent just getting to know one another all over again, finding new reasons to fall in love, new ways to. Six months of Derek neither confirming nor denying that he was texting Stiles every time he was caught with a smile so wide, it could have hurt.

 

" So, this is fun, right?" Derek received a notification one day, a text from Stiles with some sort of play button beside it. He pressed that and Stiles' voice came through.

" Wait, what? How did you do that?" Derek texted back, bewildered.

" Do what? Send a voice message? God, you're old."

" Yeah, that. What's a voice message? And why not just call? Or text?"

" Because it's easier for me to not have to type things I can't see, out. Also, it takes less time to just record what I want to say."

" I'm sorry." Derek's response came a few minutes later, his first voice message, and it sounded solemn and regretful.

" Not this again, please."

" I don't think I've ever told you how I feel about this whole thing, and why it took me so long to come around and – just be all in."

" Do you want me to call you? Or come over?"

" No, I think it's easier to just do this. Like I'm talking to myself. Besides, if you're in front of me, I'll be too busy kissing the hell out of you to think straight."

" So corny," Stiles snorted, loud and free through Derek's phone. He had to remember to ask Stiles if he could keep those voice messages forever. If he could keep him too. " But okay, I'm listening, you don't have to talk about this if you don't want to though. I'm good either way." And Derek knew right then, that he could do no wrong in Stiles' eyes.

" You remember that night, right? When I – when you passed out and I had to carry you away and – you were bleeding all over me, I never managed to get that shirt clean again, because – there was so much blood and – I knew it was bad. It's like – I'd already decided that it was my fault, that no matter what they said in the hospital, I would walk away and I wouldn't – I would stay the hell away from you. I wasn't – I knew I felt things for you, and don't even try to tell me you didn't know, because I was – I couldn't help myself around you, and when Melissa told us your head trauma was this severe and your eyesight was probably never coming back, it – it translated to me taking something from you, forever, and – I never would have let you come with us that night if I knew, Stiles. I never would have come back to Beacon Hills, hell, I would have just kept running until we were on different parts of the globe and you – you never would have gone through this much shit. Never would have – lost the way you did. I don't deserve it. Don't deserve you."

Stiles took the time to hear the voice message, sending back a quick _Derek, breathe_ when he heard that very first crack in his voice, the strangled emotions he was trying to keep from seeping through his voice and painting everything in misery.

" The first thing I thought about when I woke up was that I needed more time. If I had known this would be the last thing I ever saw, I would have – looked at you more, tried to memorize how everything about you looked, when it wasn't collapsed in worry and devastation. I would have watched for every wrinkle my dad had on his face, and those – those little kids that I will never get to watch grow up, that will change **_so much_** and I would have nothing to do with it. I would have kissed you then just to see what it would look like, Derek. I would have done a lot of things differently, but not that night. I still would follow you into the woods. I still would throw myself in front of those witches. I wouldn't change much about that night, because Derek, I was with you and we were protecting each other and fighting with the pack, and – I don't mind having that be the last thing I see. All of us, together, winning. I would do it a thousand times over. And – you didn't take anything from me. You gave me so much. You've always given me a place to go to, a person to – to love, and -" Derek was hearing Stiles reassure him, when another voice message came through.

" Fuck, I think I – no, I **_know_** that I'm so fucking in love with you, and I have been, even back then, when it was mostly just looks when you thought no one could see, and smiles after everyone had gone home, and wrapping around one another in the name of pack instead of – need and want and **_love_**. And Derek, you **_deserve_** to be happy and laugh the way you do with your hands on your chest and your eyes squeezed shut so tight. You deserve to love and to live and to never have to worry about anything bad ever happening again. You deserve to be fallen so completely in love with and to live in that fact so long, you'd forget you'd ever been alone. And – you deserve people to put effort into keeping you around, into making your life easier, because, Derek, you **_deserve_** an easy, happy, life. And – I don't know how much of that I can give you, or how – closer I can get you to all of this, but I want to try. I want to keep trying with you and for you and –" A third voice message was coming there and Derek was falling, and it should have terrified him, it should have felt like hitting rock bottom, like waiting for the crash, but – he wasn't scared of falling if it was in love with Stiles. He wouldn't mind a crash or two because whatever came out of it, he knew Stiles would take and would make into something beautiful, something worthy of him.

" Shit, **_fuck_** those time limits, I'm trying to make a grand declaration of love here and those damn voice message won't stop ending midsentence. Anyway, I don't know if the moment is gone now, but I just want you to know that I don't blame you, Derek, and you don’t get to carry the weight of my decisions, or of the stupid witches' actions. That's not on you. What is on you though, is the way you tend to bail when your mind starts reeling, so please try not to do that. Talk to me, include me, because I want to be there for you, Derek, and I am pretty damn capable so don't even – "

" I wasn't going to. I know you are. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like this.. thing had taken away from you, because it hasn't. There's so much more to you now it's kind of overwhelming, but – I don't doubt for a second that you can do whatever the hell you want to do. I have no shred of doubt when it comes to you, to us, not anymore." Derek took his keys and walked out of the loft, so certain, so sure, like nothing could ever hurt anymore, like he was untouchable. And in that moment, it kind of felt like he was. Like no matter what, he would be okay.

" Us, huh? I like the sound of that. I like you like this. Like is such a.. bland word here. It doesn't cut it. But I love you feels like a lot. Like too much, too early, and it's only been six months, and I wouldn't want to freak you out and – "

" I love you too, Stiles. Get dressed and meet me outside your house in 15."

A response never came, like Derek's words had miraculously stunned Stiles into silence. But he was waiting outside his house before Derek ever came, and there was this tint to his cheeks, this glow that Derek couldn't believe he had anything to do with because it was so fucking beautiful, **_he_** was so beautiful and so open and so loving and so – fucking in love with Derek. He didn't understand it, but he could smell it on him, could hear its truth resonating in Stiles' chest every time a steady heartbeat came and went, and he almost let himself believe it.

" Hey." Stiles whispered, feeling Derek's eyes on him. So, Derek leaned in for a kiss, figured he could to do that as many times as he wanted now, whispered a _hey back_ right between Stiles' lips.

" Where are we going?" Stiles leaned back, fastened his seatbelt, then put his hand right by Derek's thigh, waiting for him to hold on. And he did.

" To Deaton's."

" Why are we doing that?"

" You'll see."

" Hmm, I was going to make a blind joke, but I'll refrain because it feels like it's probably too soon."

" You know it doesn't bother me, right? I don't have a problem with anything that you are or aren't. I just – it just makes me wish I could have done more to stop it from happening, that's all. It's not about me being uncomfortable by your blindness, okay? I need you to know that." Stiles gave a slight squeeze to Derek's hand, a different type of hold, sighing in what looked to be relief.

" I know that now. You still did nothing wrong, but, thanks for saying that." On a whim, Derek brushed his lips against Stiles' fingers, breathing him in a little, before putting his hand back by his thigh. Stiles' features lifted with blinding joy, like Derek was doing everything right.

They got to Deaton's clinic, and Stiles didn't have to ask before leaning into Derek for guidance. It was eerily quiet, no hints offered to show Stiles what was happening. But then Derek put his hands on Stiles' shoulders, asked him to stop, to wait.

" You're not going to propose or something, right? Because that would be freakishly early, even for us."

" I wouldn't propose to you in Deaton's clinic, Stiles, come on." Stiles didn't have to call Derek out for even considering proposing at all, but the grin taking over his face said it all for him.

" So, I've been doing a bit of research, ever since that night – "

" Are you trying to take my job? Because I'm pretty sure that's my shtick."

" Can you shut up and let me finish, please?" Derek groaned, but there was no bite to it. Almost like he expected nothing less from Stiles.

" Alright, go on, shutting up now."

" I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing because I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. I didn't even know if I'd ever tell you about all of this, if we'd ever talk again, but when we kissed that very first time, it solidified.. everything for me. I was sure I was on the right track, so, I asked Lydia for help first, then Kira, because let's face it, they're the brains of this operation, especially with you being out of the loop. We got everything we need just last week, and I just need you to be okay with this, because if it works – which is should – it's going to be.. the best."

" Okay, what do you need me to be okay with?"

" Right, so, the hope is that, if I put my claws by your neck - like we did with Isaac that one time - you should be able to see, through me. Or like, through my own eyes. Like they're yours. Just for a few minutes and it'll probably exhaust the fuck out of you, and me too, but – "

" Wait. Hold on, stop. You're saying – I mean, I've read about this in books before, but I always thought it was a myth, because I – you think this could actually work? You're willing to do this for me?"

" Stiles, I'm willing to do everything for you." Stiles nodded, like he believed it, believed Derek. He put a shaky hand through his hair, another over his mouth, like he was holding back, keeping something in.

" You're not saying anything."

" I don't – I don't know what to say, or – fuck, Derek, this will – we're going to see every last bit of each other, there will be nothing hidden, or sealed away, and – what if we don't feel the same after? What if – I mean, there are some stuff that people need to have for themselves and – "

" I don't want to keep anything from you, anymore. I don't – I don't care for anything that I have outside of you. I don't always know how to navigate my thoughts and articulate them but – I want you to know everything and most of the time, I don't know how to say it out loud, so this should help. And – I trust you." Stiles knew how big this was for Derek. Derek hadn't allowed himself to **_trust_** , not really, not completely, since everything he ever believed in burned to ashes. He'd gone through every shade of betrayal, that he'd started to believe his trust counted for nothing, didn't matter. So he stopped trusting, even in himself, and the doubt had made a home out of him, until Stiles showed him all the ways a person could be a home, and tore right through him, until he got to his heart. And when he did, he didn't break it, didn't use it to break him, and just like that – all the empty spaces inside him started to feel less like holes he'd bury himself within and more like, distant losses that didn't hurt as much, got smaller, the fuller that Derek felt.

Stiles shook his head, threw himself at Derek, knowing exactly where he was. Derek barely startled at all, holding onto him like it was the thing he was always meant to do. He could do this thing with Stiles for a lifetime or two.

" I love you, so much." Stiles whispered and Derek wondered if he'd ever get used to hearing that.

" I love you too. So, are you ready to do this with me?"

" I'm so ready." Stiles pulled his head away from Derek's shoulder, brushed his nose against his like the most cliché of all clichés, but Derek laughed, not minding it all that much.

" Okay, so, basically, almost everybody is here."

" **_What?_** " It was like Stiles was so high on Derek, he couldn't possibly notice the multiple breaths sounding around him, or the tapping of Noah's feet that he never seemed to stop, or the sound of Scott's fingers running through his daughter's hair. And. Yeah, the world continued to move all around them, it didn't stand still just because Stiles' heart felt like it did, every time he felt Derek's breath, warm and close by.

" I've got nothing to hide if you don't. I want to flaunt the fuck out of you, to be honest." Derek leaned in, his lips moving around the words, touching Stiles' ear and sending one chill after the other down his spine.

" You're too good to me."

" That's a turn of events if I've ever seen one." Derek put an arm across Stiles' shoulder, pulled him into his side, and kissed the side of his head, messily, carelessly.

" This is almost as gross as when mom and dad kiss, why do grown-ups do that so much?" Silver groaned, wrapping her arms around Stiles' legs and hugging herself to him, because even if he was gross, she still loved him. Stiles leaned down, ruffled her hair and left his fingers there, allowing his small family to greet him, one at a time.  

" So how are we going to do this?" Stiles eventually asked, finding a chair for himself, before Noah and Silver occupied a leg each.

" Lydia is going to walk us through doing this, because I've only tried this on werewolves before, and I don't know how different it's going to be or feel. Scott, Melissa and Deaton are here in case we need any medical help, which, hopefully we won't. The sheriff and Kira have the kids. Isaac and Cora are here too, for what reason, I'm not sure – "

" It's called emotional support, asshole." Cora interrupted, easing some of the tension in the air.

" And the rest are out on patrol." Derek carried on anyway, playfully rolling his eyes at his sister.

" Okay, yeah. Thank you for, you know, being here, guys. It means a lot. But to be honest, I mostly can't wait to see these two again, that will be the take-away from all of this." Stiles kissed each of the twin's cheeks, earning collective giggles and hugs from them.

" You're going to be okay, right?" Noah asked, standing from Stiles' legs, but not straying too far away, his voice small and scared.

" Of course, kiddo. Derek is just going to help me with my eyes a little, then we'll go back to normal. Nothing bad is going to happen, don't worry." Noah went in for another hug, nodding against Stiles' chest, before the sheriff pulled him and Silver to the side, with a quick squeeze to Stiles' shoulder.

" You're sure about this, right?" Derek questioned after they both were situated.

" Yeah, I am. We got this." Derek nodded once, planted a kiss on top of Stiles' head, before straightening up, putting his claws where Lydia instructed, and after an entire minute of screaming and thrashing, Stiles stilled. Scott reminded him to open his eyes, reassured him that it was okay, that everything was going just fine. Stiles didn't realize how much he'd wanted this, until he was too scared to see if it'd worked, if he could have that again.

" It's okay, son. No matter what happens here, it's going to be okay." With the sheriff's voice guiding him through the layers upon layers of darkness, Stiles opened his eyes. He blinked once, twice. It felt like he had night vision now, like things weren't in color, but they weren't in black and white either, but – he could **_see_**.

" Oh. My God. I can see. It – it worked! It actually worked, oh my God, I can see and – what the fuck, look at the babies. Look how big you've gotten. Look at your hair, Silver. Come here, come closer." Stiles waved his hands around until the twins cautiously approached, standing in front of him, trying not to step too close although all they wanted was to touch him, let him hold them.

" Your tooth. You lost your tooth, Noah." Stiles cried, suddenly agonized over all the moments he'd miss, all the things that would happen around him without him knowing.

" Don't cry, uncle Stiles, or dad will start crying too." Noah said, as kindly as possible, leaning into the hand that Stiles rested against his cheek. That pulled a laugh out of Stiles, although it was wet and strangled.

" I won't. I'm just – it's so good to see you two, I can't even tell you. I love you, **_so_** much, you know that, right?" Both kids nodded, almost crying along.

" Hey, old man." Stiles looked past them, to his patiently waiting father. He hadn't changed much, but even the littlest of things made a world of difference, and Stiles had missed so many small things for the past 10 or so months since the fight.

" How old could I possibly have gotten in less than a year, Stiles?" He huffed out, inching closer anyway.

" Pretty old, apparently." Stiles teased, trying not to wail out in agony. He missed his dad so much, missed everyone in that room.

" Good to know your sense of humor is still intact." The sheriff shook his head, kissed Stiles forehead and stayed there for a moment or so, before forcing himself away.

Stiles cried again when he saw Scott, having known him for so long, having watched him grow up, and realizing that that would be it, he would no longer see any further developments, would miss the bigger part of his life. Scott cried too, true to the kids' words, who groaned and complained until Kira took them out of the room, mostly to keep herself from crying too. Cora was the one who ended up crying, Melissa too, and Isaac and the sheriff were left attempting to soothe each of them, and failing miserably to.

" I want to see you, Derek. Can I – can you try to move around my chair?" All of Derek's doubts and insecurities bombarded Stiles at once, like he'd only just remembered he was literally attuned with Derek. But everything faded, when he stood in front of him, looking everything like the man that had held him that night as the world fell away around them, but.. more. Better. His beard was longer but his hair was the same, there was one more wrinkle by the corner of his eyes and Stiles suspected it was from laughing more. His physique was almost the same, since he'd always been fit and muscly anyway. But he looked.. happier, like a more wholesome man, a lighter, more alive man. And if Stiles thought he'd been in love with him before, he had no idea how much more in love he could be with him now.

" Oh my God. Hi. Derek, hi." Derek laughed, but it sounded more like a cry, taking in Stiles like he was the one who hadn't seen him in months.

" I can't believe I'm seeing you again. I thought – I thought I'd always have that night with me, but now I – I have so much more. So many better things with me, and – I – I love you. Thank you, Derek, for – doing this, for giving me this."

" I'm going to kiss you now. Keep your eyes opened." Derek leaned in, careful not to move the claws he had through the back of Stiles' neck. Stiles let one shaky breath out, before his lips were on Derek's and – it felt so good he almost closed his eyes in pure bliss, but he kept them opened, looked at all the ways that Derek's lips moved, that his features rose and fell, that his body reacted to kissing Stiles. It coursed through him, all the things that Derek held for him, all the different ways he loved him, and – Stiles wished things could stay like this forever. He had no problem seeing nothing else for the rest of his life, as long as he got to see this, see him like this. It was one of the very few times he found himself hating his blindness, wanting to take everything that had led to it back. But it had led him to a much better place with Derek, a much steadier, more concrete, place and he wouldn't trade his love for anything, not even his eyesight.

" I love you." Stiles whispered, when Derek started to tire against him, like it was all wiping him out.

" I love you too." Derek said, resting his forehead against Stiles, and staying there, until his fingers started to slip out of his neck, and he was closer to unconsciousness than being awake.

Derek let himself sleep, allowed himself the rest, and when he woke up, Stiles was still sleeping, with his head against his shoulder, and his mouth wide open. Derek didn't move, didn't want to. Stiles began to stir an hour later, asking him if he was okay before his eyes fully opened. Derek nodded, started kissing his face, until they were both laughing and loving in equal parts. And Stiles didn't need to see Derek to know he loved him. And Derek didn't need anything else but Stiles.  


End file.
